Machine for applying roll metallic leaf.



L. M. HARWOOD. MACHINE FOR APPLYING ROLL METALLIC LEAF.

APPLIUATION FILED APR. 5, 1913,

Patented May 19, 1914.

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WITNESSES.- 143 M INVENTOR. L eon M [fatal/00d.

ATTORNEY.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.v

LEON 1VI. I-IARWOOD, O15 SPRINGFIELD, MASSAGI-IUSETTS.

MACHINE FOR APPLYING ROLL METALLIC LEAF.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, LEON M. HARWOOD, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Springfield, in the county of Hampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Machines for Applying Roll Metallic Leaf, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in devices for applying metallic leaf from a package roll of metallic leaf, and it is particularly adapted for use in connection with gold-leaf.

Broadly, the invention relates to means for supporting a package or roll of the metallic leaf, whereby the leaf may be unwound and applied to any article that is to be decorated or gilded. In this unwinding process the leaf often falls away from the support ing strip, or back-winds upon the roll itself.

An object of the present invention is to overcome these defects during the unwind ing process, and to facilitate the application of the ribbon leaf to the article to be decorated.

Referring to the drawings,Figure l is a side elevational view of a device for unwinding the leaf from the package-roll and showing the manner of applying the same to a book or other article; also illustrating the cutting device for severing the leaf at the end of the travel of the pressure and receiving-roller; Fig. 2 is a view of a device similar to that shown in Fig. 1 in which a suitably heated fillet roller is employed when it is desired to apply a fillet or short strip of the leaf to an article, as a book; also illustrating the means for preventing reverse movement of the packageroll and the pressure or fillet roll during the return movement of the supporting frame; and Fig. 3 is a plan view of the severing knife showing the means for imparting a longitudinal movement to the knife during the severing operation of the leaf.

Fig. 1 shows a device for applying the metallic leaf to an article that is to be gilded or decorated. The construction shown in this figure comprisesa pair of depending members 7 and 8 that are suitably secured to supports 9 and 10. Extending in parallel relation between the depending members 7 and 8 are a pair of slotted bars 11 and 12, and these bars are secured to the depending members, as indicated at 13. The slots in Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 5, 1913.

Patented May 19, 1914. Serial No. 759,228.

the bars 11 and 12 are indicated at 14 and 15. 16 designates a frame and in this frame is supported the package-roll a and the pressureor receiving roll 17 The shaft 6 which extends through the core of the package-roll enters the slot 14 of the bar 11 and the shaft 18 0f the pressure-or receiving roll enters the slot 15. The width of the slots 14; and 15 is slightly greater than thediameters of the shafts e and 18 to permit a very slight vertical movement of the frame 16 during the gilding operation. The pressureor receiving roll 17 is provided with a covering 19 of rubber, and bearing on the surface of this rubber for the. purpose of generating static or frictional electricity is a friction-block 20 that is composed of woolen or silk fibers. This block is attached to the bar 24 by means of the bracket 21. Connected to the shafts e and 18 are the links 22 and 23 and connecting the outer ends of these links is the bar 24 to which the rod 25 is secured and its outer end has attached thereto a handle 26. The handle 26 and its connections to the shafts 18 and 6 permit the frame 16 to be reciprocated in the bars 11 and 12 in the direction of the arrow 27 during the application of the leaf to a suitable article, as a book, which is indicated at 28. In order to return the frame 16 after the leaf has been applied, the tension springs 29 and 30 are employed, one end of which are attached to the bar 24, as indicated at 31, and their outer ends to the bars 11 and 12, as indicated at 32. The metallic leaf 0 and the supporting strip Z) are shown in this figure as being unwound from the package-roll a when the handle is moved in the direction of the arrow 27 The end of the supporting strip 6 is shown at the lower right-hand corner of Fig. 1, and any suitable means may be used to receive the Waste strip as the package-roll is unwound. The leaf 0 is shown as being applied to the book 28. During the movement of the frame 16 in the direction of the arrow the friction block 20 generates sufficient quantity of frictional electricity to cause the leaf to be attracted to the pressureor receiving roll 17. This is necessary because the leaf is'then on the outside of the supporting strip 6, and if some means were not employed to attract it toward the supporting strip and the pressureor receiving roll, it would not be carried around by the same.

During the return movement ofthe frame 16 which carries the roll a and the presseror receiving roll 17, it is necessary that these two rolls should not revolve. In order to prevent this taking place, a pawl-andratchet device is employed. A ratchet 33 is secured to the shaft 18 or pressureor receiving roll 17 and a pawl 34 secured to the frame 16 engages this ratchet-wheel 33. A pawl-and-ratchet device is also employed to prevent the package-roll a from turning during the return movement of the pressure or receiving roll 17 and comprises the ratchet-wheel 35 and the pawl 36 which prevent the pressure or receiving roll 17 on the package-roll a from revolving, but during the application of the leaf to the article these pawls will slip idly over the teeth of the ratchet-wheels. he support on which the article to be decorated rests, as indicated at 37, is made adjustable by any suitable means in order to apply the correct pressure to the article.

During the outward travel of the frame 16 and after a definite length of the leaf has been applied to the book or other article, it is necessary that this leaf should be simultaneously severed, and in order to accomplish this operation a cutter, indicated at 38, is pivoted to the depending brackets 39, which brackets are secured to the slotted bar 12. The pivotal point of the cutter 38 is indicated at 40, and, as shown in Fig. 3 in an enlarged view, comprises a shaft which extends between the pair of depending brackets 39. In order to operate the cutter after the pressure and receiving roll has traveled the required distance, the rod a1 which is carried by the frame 16 strikes a buffer on the spring 12 which is located in the end of the slot 15.

4:3 is a flexible connection, one end of which is attached to the knife at 14 and its opposite end to the buffer 45 which is carried by the spring 42. This flexible connection passes around a roller 16 at the lower end of the bracket 39. It will be seen that when the spring 412 is compressed the flexible connection will pull downward on the inner edge of the knife 38 against the action of the weight 47, which weight normally holds the knife in position to cut the metallic leaf. That is to say the weight 47 normally retains the cutting edge of the knife 38 so that it will engage the leaf to cut the same when the weighted roller carries the metallic leaf 0 against the cutting edge of the knife. It should be stated that the cord or flexible connection 43 does not come into operation to move the cutting edge of the knife downward a short distance until the rod 41 engages the buffer 15 when the flexible connection 43 will act to draw the cutting edge of the knife down to effectively sever a definite length of the metallic leaf,1as required.

The length of the severed strip is the length required to extend across the book 28 being gilded.

It has been found in practice that in order to readily sever the leaf it is necessary that the knife 38 be given a reciprocating or transverse movement; and in order to accomplish this operation the knife is mounted between springs 48 and 49 that are placed between the ends of the knife and the supporting brackets 39 and which encircle the shaft 40.

A button 50 receives the end of the shaft 40 and has a bearing in one of the brackets 39. This button is formed with a shoulder 50 adapted to engage the spring 49, whereby when the button is pushed inward the knife may be moved on the shaft 40, causing the knife to have a transverse movement in relationto the leaf 0 for readily severing the same. The spring 48 would, of course, be compressed and its stored energy would serve to return the knife to its return position. It is to be understood that in operation pressure is exerted on the button 50 just prior to the instant that the rod 41 strikes the buffer 15.

The construction shown in Fig. 2 is for the purpose of applying a fillet of the leaf by means of a fillet roller, and in this construction instead of the weighted or pressure roller 17 being charged with frictional electricity it is preferable to have the roller heated to the required temperature during the application of the leaf. In this construction the depending bars 7 and 8 are employed, as before, and instead of the two parallel bars 11 and 12 shown in Fig. 1, three parallel arranged bars with slots therein are shown, indicated at 51, 52 and 53. A frame 5% similar to the frame 16 is employed. The package-roll of the material is supported in the frame 54 in the manner already described in connection with Fig. 1. 55 designates a receiving wheel around which the supporting strip and leaf passes 011 its travel from the package-roll to the fillet-wheel 56. The supporting strip 6 is shown as leaving the receiving-whee1 55 and passing through the depending bar 8 of the device. From this point untilthe leaf is applied to the article to be decorated it is attracted or held to the fillet-wheel 56 on account of its heated condition, it being well known that a heated roller will cause the gold-leaf to adhere thereto. The wheels 55 and 56 are in contact with each other and therefore heat from the fillet-Wheel 56 is transferred to the receiving-wheel 55. In order to operate the fillet-wheel and at the same time the receiving-wheel 55 which causes the supporting strip and leaf to be drawn from the roll a, a pair of links 57 and 58 are attached to the shafts 59 and 60, and their outer ends are connected to a bar 61 which, in turn, is connected to the handle 62 by means of the rod 63. The shafts 59 and 60 of the receiving and fillet wheels work back and forth in the slots at and 65 and the shaft 6 of the package-roll moves in the slot 66 of the bar 51. The book or other article to be decorated is placed on an adjustable support 67. In order to prevent the fillet-wheel 56, the receiving-wheel 55 and the package-roll a from rotating during the return movement of the frame 5%, a pawl-and-ratchet device is employed, the same as that described in Fig. 1, and comprises a ratchet-wheel 68 and a pawl 69 to hold the wheel 56 fixed in its motion toward the right, and a pawl-and-ratchet device is attached to the shaft 6 of the roll a, as indicated by the reference numerals 70 and 71. The tension springs 72 and 7 3 are employed to withdraw the frame 5% after the leaf has been applied. For the purpose of causing the peripheral speed of the filletwheel 56 to agree with the rate of rotation of the receiving-wheel 55, it is necessary that these two wheels be geared together in order to have uniform motion, and this gearing is indicated at 74C and 75. These gears are preferably attached to the outer ends of the shafts 59 and 60.

lVhat I claim, is,

1. In a device to apply roll metallic leaf, the combination, of a roller to receive and support the metallic leaf in roll form, a slidable frame in which the roller is rotatably supported, a receiving wheel rotatably supported in said frame, means to eleotrify said wheel to attract the leaf thereto, and means to automatically sever the leaf as desired during the process of unwinding.

2. In a device to apply roll metallic leaf, a roller to receive and support the metallic leaf in roll form, the combination, of a slidable frame in which the roll is rotatably sup- Gopies of this patent may be obtained for ported, a receiving wheel, means to cause the leaf to adhere to said wheel to attract the leaf thereto, and means to prevent a reverse rotation of the wheel and roll of 1r etallic leaf after the leaf has been applied.

3. A device for applying roll metallic leaf, the combination, of a roller for receiving and supporting the leaf in roll form, a frame member, means for reciprocably supporting said member, means for rotatably supporting the roller in the frame member, and a receiving wheel carried by the frame member, for applying the leaf as it is drawn from the roll.

4. A device for applying roll-metallic leaf, a roller to receive and support the metallic leaf in roll form, a frame member, means for movably supporting said member, means for rotatably supporting in said frame the roll of metallic leaf, and a receiving wheel carried by the movable frame for applying the leaf as it is drawn from the roll, means to permit the frame to be moved from its initial position, and means to return the frame to its initial position.

5. A device for unwinding and applying a roll of metallic leaf, a receiving wheel, a frame to support the roll of metallic leaf and said wheel, said wheel serving to receive the leaf from the roll and apply the same, said wheel having its receiving surface formed of a material capable of generating frictional electricity, means to frictionally engage the receiving wheel to generate static electricity for attracting the leaf thereto and to cause the leaf to remain in place on the receiving wheel during the unwinding process.

LEGN M. HARVVOOD. Witnesses HARRY W. BOWEN, MINNIE C. HUNTER.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

